The 4004L8 is finished!
Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 9:33 pm
First I have to thank our own Aceonbass himself, Dane Wilder, for all of his help and support for throughout this whole project. He not only allowed me to pick his brain about potential for different Rics as convertible but also supplied me with the Wilder-Potatohead headstock (customized for the 4004L) pattern, provided the small tuners held my hand throughout the whole process. Dane also turned me on to his luthier Bruce Johnson at Johnson's Extremely Strange Musical Instrument Company (http://www.xstrange.com/index.html) and checked in on the conversion a couple of times. Thank You Dane!
The project started just about a year ago. A few weeks before my 50th birthday my wife and I were talking and the subject of what I wanted came up. Being a family of college aged kids there isn’t a whole lot of disposable cash around. I was planning of asking for a weekend at the MARF last year at POR but she said ‘well what about that 8 string bass you always talk about.’ I was shocked… I said that was too expensive. She said ‘well you are always talking about how folks on the forum make different basses. Why don’t you see what that would cost?” I ended up settling on the 4004 as a target – the wider neck seemed to be ideal for the extra strings and as I recalled from years earlier it had a great sound. I was on a business trip and happened to notice a 4004L on the Bay. I won it but when I had some extra time I learned it was a fourmite Stephane. A beautiful bass… thanks Steph for offering it up. I actually stopped playing it as it was becoming too nice as a 4 string.
While researching the 8 string conversion on the forum I found Dane’s 4003 conversion. I loved the headstock and it seemed a natural for the 4004L. So after looking around for a little while for available luthiers Dane suggested his luthier…. He was good and had done it before - Sold! Bruce had an opening around the holidays… and now it is back!
This bass sounds great! And it plays like a dream… now if you all will indulge me here are some pics -
The project started just about a year ago. A few weeks before my 50th birthday my wife and I were talking and the subject of what I wanted came up. Being a family of college aged kids there isn’t a whole lot of disposable cash around. I was planning of asking for a weekend at the MARF last year at POR but she said ‘well what about that 8 string bass you always talk about.’ I was shocked… I said that was too expensive. She said ‘well you are always talking about how folks on the forum make different basses. Why don’t you see what that would cost?” I ended up settling on the 4004 as a target – the wider neck seemed to be ideal for the extra strings and as I recalled from years earlier it had a great sound. I was on a business trip and happened to notice a 4004L on the Bay. I won it but when I had some extra time I learned it was a fourmite Stephane. A beautiful bass… thanks Steph for offering it up. I actually stopped playing it as it was becoming too nice as a 4 string.
While researching the 8 string conversion on the forum I found Dane’s 4003 conversion. I loved the headstock and it seemed a natural for the 4004L. So after looking around for a little while for available luthiers Dane suggested his luthier…. He was good and had done it before - Sold! Bruce had an opening around the holidays… and now it is back!
This bass sounds great! And it plays like a dream… now if you all will indulge me here are some pics -
